shadytints

Used Solar gard for years.   dropped them when the closed my distribution point.  problems ordering, paying my bill and shall we say communication issues.  Switched to Sun gard and was happy till they were bought by madico and problems began to surface.  Choosing the right film is an important decision and can be confusing.
 
do not compare a film you are evaluating to the one you use.  every manufacture will send you free samples.  use medium to hard BG and a door for testing.  shrink and hang 3 different products before you try the one that you are interested in.   different films react differently,  compare a new film to other films you are not familiar with.  only way for a fair evaluation.  have to get out of your comfort zone product. $10 or even $50 a roll cost difference is small compared to the time and film you might waste on a film that is hard to install or increases your warranty rate.
 
Things to consider when testing
does it come off clean or leave glue on window when removing. 
hard to peel off or easy.  you want a good bond.
when you shrink it, does the edge singe or curl?   I cut, shrink and hang.  never cut twice
how aggressive is the adhesive.  same slip with 4 different films gives you a comparison.  how long till you cant pull back for say a hair removal
crease or spot removal.   yes screw up the door,  some films no heat chisler or heat with gator  or fingernail.  glue smear easy?
 
price is the least important and last consideration IMO

Used Solar gard for years.   dropped them when the closed my distribution point.  problems ordering, paying my bill and shall we say communication issues.  Switched to Sun gard and was happy till they were bought by madico and problems began to surface.  Choosing the right film is an important decision and can be confusing.
 
do not compare a film you are evaluating to the one you use.  every manufacture will send you free samples.  use medium to hard BG and a door for testing.  shrink and hang 3 different products before you try the one that you are interested in.   different films react differently,  compare a new film to other films you are not familiar with.  only way for a fair evaluation.  have to get out of your comfort zone product. $10 or even $50 a roll cost difference is small compared to the time and film you might waste on a film that is hard to install or increases your warranty rate.
 
Things to consider when testing
does it come off clean or leave glue on window when removing. 
hard to peel off or easy.  you want a good bond.
when you shrink it, does the edge singe or curl?   I cut, shrink and hang.  never cut twice
how aggressive is the adhesive.  same slip with 4 different films gives you a comparison.  how long till you cant pull back for say a hair removal
crease or spot removal.   yes screw up the door,  some films no heat chisler or heat with gator  or fingernail.  glue smear easy?
 
price is the least important and last consideration IMO

tried gasket wizard late 80's,  seemed more a PITA then anything.  it was better then 2 inch masking tape pieces trying to tape the gasket back.  learned how to tuck with my olfa knife.  there were no EZ-reach or fancy tools back then.   Last year I saw the Shank for the first time and fell in love.  On really tight seals I use the shank with an EZ-reach to force the film in.  I refer to that as the double F%&k.

every film is different. shrinking, sticking and elasticity. you dont have to shrink every door, but i do.    snapping the top makes you have to stretch the bottom leaving no fingers.  the system i follow let me turn a car an hour, sometimes two with an assistant.  the most profitable film is not the cheapest,  its the one that goes on fastest and does not come back.  10 to 50 more or less cost per roll is irrelevant compared to the extra cars/day income you will make. 

every film is different. shrinking, sticking and elasticity. you dont have to shrink every door, but i do.    snapping the top makes you have to stretch the bottom leaving no fingers.  the system i follow let me turn a car an hour, sometimes two with an assistant.  the most profitable film is not the cheapest,  its the one that goes on fastest and does not come back.  10 to 50 more or less cost per roll is irrelevant compared to the extra cars/day income you will make. 

every film is different. shrinking, sticking and elasticity. you dont have to shrink every door, but i do.    snapping the top makes you have to stretch the bottom leaving no fingers.  the system i follow let me turn a car an hour, sometimes two with an assistant.  the most profitable film is not the cheapest,  its the one that goes on fastest and does not come back.  10 to 50 more or less cost per roll is irrelevant compared to the extra cars/day income you will make. 

ram 1500 and many other vehicles have the inner sweep higher then the outer sweep,  I refer to this as a "negative offset".   If the inner sweep were lower then the outer,  you would have never seen those fingers and it would have peeled eventually. 
 
So what if we snapped the top or shrank the top?  if little fingers popped up on the top,  easy to see and heat down.  No reason to pull door panels or sweeps then.
 
process with heat gun or torch on my youtube channel

top edge debris.
after you clean the door,  kawos/perfect cloth the top edge to remove dirt.  laminate windows you might have to spray the channel out.   top back corner and front rinse well.  can not wipe to the edge.  top window gasket wet from outside and mist around window and around where you peel.   static electricity pulls dirt in when you peel and the vacuum created peeling draws debris.  I peel off the car and mist all around my patterns before pulling release sheet including under side view mirrors..  as you put the film on the window,  loose dust on frame or gaskets can fall in from the top and sides if not wet.
 
years ago i used peel boards,  saw a tinter peel off the side of a caravan completely covered in mud.  I asked how he could tint clean on such a dirty vehicle.  he replied "keep everything wet and no water running in".   so i threw out my mobile peelboards and never looked back.

top edge debris.
after you clean the door,  kawos/perfect cloth the top edge to remove dirt.  laminate windows you might have to spray the channel out.   top back corner and front rinse well.  can not wipe to the edge.  top window gasket wet from outside and mist around window and around where you peel.   static electricity pulls dirt in when you peel and the vacuum created peeling draws debris.  I peel off the car and mist all around my patterns before pulling release sheet including under side view mirrors..  as you put the film on the window,  loose dust on frame or gaskets can fall in from the top and sides if not wet.
 
years ago i used peel boards,  saw a tinter peel off the side of a caravan completely covered in mud.  I asked how he could tint clean on such a dirty vehicle.  he replied "keep everything wet and no water running in".   so i threw out my mobile peelboards and never looked back.

I like blues, stevie ray to set the pace and mood. (12 bar).  known times I screw up.  the after lunch food coma,  always hard to get your groove back.  year ago a cruz screwed up three times on BG,   was over a hundred in shop,  didnt know i was disoriented from dehydration.   took a break, water and power aid, cut, shrunk and hung under 10min.   lets not forget the polyTcar. (polyester to car) curse.    oh, that one will be easy.  almost done  cakewalk car.  say any phrases like that and plan on working overtime pulling hair

I like blues, stevie ray to set the pace and mood. (12 bar).  known times I screw up.  the after lunch food coma,  always hard to get your groove back.  year ago a cruz screwed up three times on BG,   was over a hundred in shop,  didnt know i was disoriented from dehydration.   took a break, water and power aid, cut, shrunk and hung under 10min.   lets not forget the polyTcar. (polyester to car) curse.    oh, that one will be easy.  almost done  cakewalk car.  say any phrases like that and plan on working overtime pulling hair

been a P2 user for almost 30 years.  I remove the trigger lock and lube the slide every month or so.  3 or 5 gallon tanks are great if you are stationary,  I can't lift them anymore.  The spray tip goes bad in a few months.  I prefer the fine mist for hanging.  Most professionals buy good tools,  I would question a mechanic that hand walmart tools.  good tools last longer then cheap crap.

the trick to cleaning with blades is to listen and feel.  keep glass wet and feel the imperfections as the blade slides across and listen for the "ting ting"  of pits, scratches or sputter.  low angle and light pressure like  fishing and feeling a nibble.  no blades on BG!  now that I use stainless blades,  they don't rust, last for months and cut myself and pouch less.  
if the BG  is in good shape, white scrubby, squeegee and hang.  dirty BG,  stronger cleaner double rinse.  oxidized or corroded lines, steel wool, double rinse and maybe pro-bond for lines and frit.
work smarter, not harder.  1 min to look at the window before you wet it or cover in film may save you an hour redoing it later because you missed something.
 
inspect cars inside and outside when finished.   I use a 250 lumen spot to check inside for puddles or imperfections and again outside.  mini-torch for parking lot touch-ups.     If a custy see's just one spot,  the will be face F&%$ing the whole car for an hour.   and of course that will be when your busy and have no time.

the trick to cleaning with blades is to listen and feel.  keep glass wet and feel the imperfections as the blade slides across and listen for the "ting ting"  of pits, scratches or sputter.  low angle and light pressure like  fishing and feeling a nibble.  no blades on BG!  now that I use stainless blades,  they don't rust, last for months and cut myself and pouch less.  
if the BG  is in good shape, white scrubby, squeegee and hang.  dirty BG,  stronger cleaner double rinse.  oxidized or corroded lines, steel wool, double rinse and maybe pro-bond for lines and frit.
work smarter, not harder.  1 min to look at the window before you wet it or cover in film may save you an hour redoing it later because you missed something.
 
inspect cars inside and outside when finished.   I use a 250 lumen spot to check inside for puddles or imperfections and again outside.  mini-torch for parking lot touch-ups.     If a custy see's just one spot,  the will be face F&%$ing the whole car for an hour.   and of course that will be when your busy and have no time.

I remember an old honda I think in the early 90's.  old tight rubber seals pissing me off.   added more slip to get in and then the film would shift rolling it up.  no clue how many times i redid the door. 
 
You win!  or you learn,  yes the learning can get expensive.
 
extra slip is good for tight deep gaskets and getting the shaved look without shaving.   pro-handle to get all possible slip out, then a little heat to seal the upper edge and lock it in place before rolling it up.  I seal the perimeter when finished in case a rocket scientist rolls it down 5 min after I tint it.  I cant tell you how many times a custy came to pick up car and rolled the windows down to look before coming in to pay.

white has worked well for me.  less chance of debris then steel wool.  wool better for corroded defrost lines.  for a clean back window,  the best advice I can give is always look at the glass closely before putting anything on it.  old stickers, temp tag residue or other imperfections if noticed can be taken care before water or fil are put on glass.   so many trainees get burned missing crap because they wet the window or put film on it before evaluating the glass.

white has worked well for me.  less chance of debris then steel wool.  wool better for corroded defrost lines.  for a clean back window,  the best advice I can give is always look at the glass closely before putting anything on it.  old stickers, temp tag residue or other imperfections if noticed can be taken care before water or fil are put on glass.   so many trainees get burned missing crap because they wet the window or put film on it before evaluating the glass.

side windows,  stainless razor blade, perfect cloth squeegee.  cloth rinse and reuse.  stainless blade last for months,  listen for the dirt or sputter.  rear window, white scrubby squeegee.  peanut prone i prep with pro-bond

been a P2 user for almost 30 years.  I remove the trigger lock and lube the slide every month or so.  3 or 5 gallon tanks are great if you are stationary,  I can't lift them anymore.  The spray tip goes bad in a few months.  I prefer the fine mist for hanging.  Most professionals buy good tools,  I would question a mechanic that hand walmart tools.  good tools last longer then cheap crap.

little scuff with some sand paper,  mild to wild.  had one film that turbos and max hung up on, little 220 grit did the trick.  glaze forms overtime on the edge, scuff mine on a regular basis.  have not tried the pink,  get a good bow on the clear with my fushion on final pass.  ruff scuff on dozer helps keep rubber scuffs off BG,  -15 winters in Michigan, can't be limp wristing it.